Elliott Wilcox, Real Tennis 05, c-print, 2009, 30" x 40"
Laura Parker, Rotations (Labyrinth, Red III), chromogenic monotype print, 2011, 20" x 20"
dnj Gallery is pleased to announce its upcoming exhibition and American debut of “Courts” by the young British photographer Elliott Wilcox. In Gallery II, we present “Rotations and Rubbings” by Southern California artist Laura Parker.
In Courts, Elliott Wilcox photographs racquet, squash, and traditional ‘Real Tennis’ courts absent any games or players. With an interest in discovering the details that are overlooked, Wilcox focuses on the graphic qualities of the open spaces with an emphasis on bold, flat colors and formal, linear structures. Wilcox explains, “the vivid stains, ball marks, blood and scratches force the viewer to focus on these details rather then just the courts.” His rich colors and simple shapes create a strong exhibition.
This is Elliott Wilcox’s first solo show at dnj Gallery and in the United States. He has exhibited internationally. His Court series caught the attention of Charles Saatchi, and the famed collector shortlisted Wilcox for his BBC documentary television show, School of Saatchi. Additionally, his work was selected to be part of the exhibition PRUNE- Abstracting Reality at Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam (FOAM). He is the recipient of several awards including a Judges Award at the Nikon Discovery Awards, a New York Photo Award and has only just won a Lucie Award for the Discovery of the Year at the International Photography Awards.
Laura Parker resumes her examination of time, structure and curious ideas in relation to perception. Each photograph combines a projected negative and a photogram, an image made without a camera by placing objects directly onto the surface of a photo-sensitive material and then exposing it to light. Her images then appear within a black field with a “light halo” around the object. In the end, each picture results in a circle. “From the planetary to the simple hollow of a bowl, I find myself attracted to the circle. It is perfectly balanced, there is a reference to optics and to the human eye, and a circle holds the tension between both unending movement and utter stillness.”
Laura Parker is collected privately throughout California and the United States. She earned her BFA, Magna cum Laude from UCLA and her MFA from CalArts, Valencia. She currently lives and works in Pasadena, CA. Her work was recently selected to be part of Influential Element: Exploring the Impact of Water, Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, California. Parker also had an exhibit, with some of this work, at the Armory Center for the Arts, Pasadena, California. This is her second solo show at dnj Gallery.
